The present invention generally relates to an information processing apparatus, and information processing method, an information processing system, and a program providing medium. More particularly, the present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, an information processing system, and a program providing medium that allow a user to receive in a shared virtual reality space a particular service without inputting the user identification information such as a telephone number into the user""s client PC, by holding the user identification (ID) in the registry of the client PC.
A cyberspace service named Habitat (registered trademark) is known in so-called personal computer communications services such as NIFTY-Serve (registered trademark) of Japan and CompuServe (registered trademark) of US in which a plurality of users connect their personal computers via modems and public telephone networks to the host computers installed at the centers of the services to access them in predetermined protocols.
Development of Habitat started in 1985 by Lucas Film of the US, operated by Quantum Link, one of US commercial networks, for about three years. Then, Habitat started its service in NIFTY-Serve as Fujitsu Habitat (trademark) in February 1990. In Habitat, users can send their alter egos called avatars (the incarnation of a god figuring in the Hindu mythology) as virtual reality objects into a virtual reality city called Populopolis drawn by two-dimensional graphics to have a chat (namely, a realtime conversation based on text entered and displayed) with each other in the virtual reality city. For further details of Habitat, refer to the Japanese translation xe2x80x9cpp. 282-307xe2x80x9d of xe2x80x9cCyberspace: First Steps,xe2x80x9d Michael Benedikt, ed., 1991, MIT Press Cambridge, Mass., ISBN0-262-02327-X, the translation being published Mar. 20, 1994, by NTT Publishing, ISBN4-87188-265-9C0010.
In the conventional cyberspace systems operated by personal computer communications services such as mentioned above, a virtual reality street and the inside of a room for example are drawn in two-dimensional graphics. Therefore, moving an avatar in the depth direction is realized simply by moving it up and down in the background of the two-dimensional graphics. This results in a poor expression in simulating walking and movement in a virtual reality space. Also, the two-dimensional virtual reality space in which own avatar and the avatar of another user are displayed is viewed from a viewpoint of a third party, thereby impairing the sense of simulated experience.
To overcome this drawback, a capability that enables a user to walk as desired with the viewpoint of the avatar of the user in a virtual reality space represented in three-dimensional graphics is realized by use of a three-dimensional graphics data description language called VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 9-81781 corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 678,340 U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,038. Considerations about various cyberspaces in which chat is made by use of the avatar of a user are described in NIKKEI Electronics, Sep. 9, 1996, No. 670, pp. 151-159.
Recently, breeding simulation games for breeding tropical fish and a virtual reality creature having artificial intelligence living in a virtual reality world for example have come to be available as personal computer software programs. A product is also known that displays a simulated pet such as a dog or a cat on an electronic notepad to enjoy the process of its growth (refer to NIKKEI Electronics, Apr. 7, 1997, No. 686, pp. 131-134). In addition, xe2x80x9cTamagotchixe2x80x9d (registered trademark) developed and commercialized by Bandai Co. is widely known that is an egg-sized portable virtual reality pet with a breeding simulation game program as mentioned above incorporated.
Virtual reality pets of this type have a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) and so on mounted on a single-chip LSI (Large Scale Integration), a breeding simulation game program being stored in the ROM, the figure and state of the pet being displayed on an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) device. The user gives such instructions by operating buttons as xe2x80x9cfeedxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cbroomxe2x80x9d for example necessary for breeding the virtual reality creature as a pet. As a result of caring, the virtual reality creature displayed on the LCD grows stepwise from an egg to a chick to a grown-up bird for example in its external view.
The virtual reality creature is programmed such that proper instructions given help the virtual reality creature grow without problem and improper instructions given make it sick or, in the worst case, die. Further, the virtual reality creature is programmed to make various requests based on the time elapsing from its birth provided by an incorporated calendar timer. For example, in the nighttime zone, the virtual reality creature requests a sleep and, in the mealtime zone, it requests food. In other times, the virtual reality creature requests, at random, snack and play for example. If the user fails to answer these requests properly, the growth of the virtual reality creature may be retarded or its character worsens. If the user answers properly, the life of the virtual reality creature is lengthened.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 07-160853 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,646 discloses a technology applicable to an electronic notepad for example for displaying images according to the growth processes of a virtual reality creature such as an animal or a plant. To be more specific, bit-map images representing the growth processes of a plant character for example are stored in the ROM in the electronic notepad. The plant character according to the degree of growth is displayed on the LCD of the electronic notepad and, at the same time, characters representing plant growing elements (water, light, and fertilizer for example) are displayed. Necessary amounts of these growing elements are inputted by operating corresponding keys on the electronic notepad. The inputted values are set to a water-amount indicating register, a light-amount indicating register, and a fertilizer-amount indicating register respectively in the RAM of the electronic notepad. Based on the values set to these registers, a new degree of growth is computed. Then, the plant character corresponding to the computed degree of growth is read from the ROM to be displayed on the LCD. Thus, the plant growth process according to the state of cultivation by the user is displayed.
Thus, a pseudo pet (hereafter also referred to as a virtual reality pet or a virtual reality life object) grows into various states according to the operations made by the user, or its keeper. However, the related-art shared virtual reality spaces require users themselves to input information which identify the user, such as a telephone number into their client PCs in order to receive particular services. This inputting operation is cumbersome for users and time consuming.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, and a program providing medium that allow each user to receive particular services without inputting the user identification information into the client PC, by holding the user identification (ID) in the registry of the client PC.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: a storage means for storing the identification information; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means to the server; and a receiving means for receiving the information corresponding to the identification information transmitted from the server; wherein, if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, the information processing apparatus transmits information thereof to the server through the transmitting means, receives through the receiving means the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means, and stores the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means.
In carrying out the invention and according to another aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing method for an information processing apparatus having a storage means for storing the identification information, the information processing method comprising the steps of: if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, transmitting transmits information thereof to the server through the transmitting means; receiving through the receiving means the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means; and storing the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means.
In carrying out the invention and according to still another aspect thereof, there is provided a program providing medium for providing a computer program for use in an information processing apparatus comprising: a storage means for storing the identification information; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means to the server; and a receiving means for receiving the information corresponding to the identification information transmitted from the server; the computer program comprising the steps of: if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, transmitting transmits information thereof to the server; receiving through the receiving means the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means; and storing the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means.
In carrying out the invention and according to yet another aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: a generating means for generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; a registering means for registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and a providing means for providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
In carrying out the invention and according to a different aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing method comprising the steps of: generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
In carrying out the invention and according to a still different aspect thereof, there is provided a program providing medium for providing a computer program comprising the steps of: generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
In carrying out the invention and according to a yet different aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing system having a terminal and a server, the terminal comprising: a storage means for storing the identification information; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means; and a receiving means for receiving the information corresponding to the identification information transmitted from the server; wherein, if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, the information processing apparatus transmits information thereof to the server through the transmitting means, receives through the receiving means the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means, and stores the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means; the server comprising: a generating means for generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; a registering means for registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and a providing means for providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
In carrying out the invention and according to a separate aspect thereof, there is provided an information processing method for an information processing system which has a storage means for storing the identification information, comprising the steps of: if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, transmitting transmits information thereof to the server; receiving the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means; and storing the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means; and the server of the information processing method comprising the steps of: generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
In carrying out the invention and according to a still separate aspect thereof, there is provided a program providing medium for providing a computer program to be executed in an information processing system which has a terminal and a server, comprising: a storage means for storing the identification information; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means to the server; and a receiving means for receiving the information corresponding to the identification information transmitted from the server; the computer program comprising the steps of: if the identification information is not stored in the storage means, transmitting transmits information thereof to the server; receiving the identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means; and storing the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means; and in the server, the computer program comprising the steps of: generating, when access is made from the terminal without accompanying the identification information, the identification information corresponding to predetermined information; registering the identification information generated by the generating means; and providing the identification information generated by the generating means to the terminal.
According to an information processing apparatus described in claim 1 appended hereto, an information processing method described in claim 3 appended hereto, and a program providing medium described in claim 4 appended hereto, a terminal has a storage means for storing identification information, a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means to a server, and a receiving means for receiving information corresponding to the identification information transmitted from the server. If no identification information is stored in the storage means, the terminal transmits information thereof to the server. The terminal receives identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the above-mentioned information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means. The received identification information is then stored in the storage means. Consequently, the identification information for user identification can be held in a registry.
According to an information processing apparatus described in claim 5 appended hereto, an information processing method described in claim 7 appended hereto, and a program providing medium described in claim 8 appended hereto, if access is made from a terminal without accompanying identification information, identification information corresponding to predetermined information is generated. The generated identification information is registered to be provided to the terminal. Consequently, services corresponding to the user identification information can be provided.
According to an information system described in claim 9 appended hereto, an information processing method described in claim 12 appended hereto, and a program providing medium described in claim 13 appended hereto, a terminal has a storage means for storing identification information, a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information stored in the storage means to a server, and a receiving means for receiving the identification information transmitted from the server. If no identification information is stored in the storage means, the terminal transmits information thereof to the server. The terminal receives identification information corresponding to predetermined information transmitted from the server in response to the information indicating that no identification information is stored in the storage means and stores the identification information received by the receiving means into the storage means. When an access is made from the terminal without accompanying identification information, the server generates identification information corresponding to predetermined information and registers the generated identification information to be provided to the terminal. Consequently, the user can receive predetermined services from the server without inputting user identification information into the terminal.